Bending Factor In Sheet Metal

The line where the transition from compression to stretching occurs is called the neutral axis.

Bending factor in sheet metal. Types of metal bends and forming methods bending and bend formation are important factors when it comes to calculating bend deduction which is the total elongation for a particular type of bend. Also known as press braking flanging die bending folding and edging this method is used to deform a material to an angular shape. When a piece of metal is being formed the inner portion of the bend compresses while the outer portion expands see figure 1. The k factor is the most important and elusive variable of bending because it varies both as a function of the material and according to parameters such as angle and tooling.

Therefore using k factor there is no need to calculate sheet metal flat length manually. The k factor in sheet metal working is the ratio of the neutral axis to the material thickness. The part of the material that bends. The k factor is defined as the ratio between the material thickness t and the neutral fibre axis t i e.

When metal is bent the top section is going to undergo compression and the bottom section will be stretched. Bend allowance and k factor. K factor plays a key role in understanding the limits a material can handle during sheet metal bending. Just that the leaf brake can serve a shop well where sheet metal bending isn t an everyday job.

In sheet metal the k factor is the ratio of the neutral axis to the material thickness. Use the known k factor and the known inner bending radius to calculate the bending radius of the neutral line. For example if the value of k factor for given material thickness and bending machines is known. In sheet metal design the k factor is used to calculate how much sheet metal one needs to leave for the bend in order to achieve particular final dimensions especially for between the straight sides next the bend.

Sheet metal bending methods design tips k factor bending is one of the most common sheet metal fabrication operations. K factor in sheet metal bending is a constant that is used to calculate sheet metal flat length.